Reverse Fortune
by MindlessPerfection
Summary: A queen, viciously murdered by a man she loved more than anything else in the world who though he would let her live in the last moments of her life...is beheaded. This is the story of her life.


Authors Note:

Be aware that this is the prologue for my novel, and is a work in progress. The idea came from a historical time period, those of you who have actually read this would know that it came from the king who murdered his wives because they couldnt give him children, or because he thought they committed sins..this started with katherine of aragon, and then anne boleyn. But this is written to how I wanted, and not written about any of those women that were with him, also note the king is not the same either nor is the general idea. Enjoy, and please R&R.

The Murder of a Queen

The room was damp; the floor cold as December's chill filled the dark room. Leaning against the wall a woman looks through a small window to the outside of a tower, as night slowly slips away. The moon remained full in the sky, as it shown through the small window of this tower. Her companions who were spread out in this small room, slept soundlessly against the cold stone wall of her prison. She could see her breath coming in slow even patterns from her lips, sliding down the wall her heart beat slowly under her chemise. Her dress was that of a rather elaborate silk brocade that had an exquisite floral design, with a matching petticoat. Her skirts about her, she rested on the cold ground, still looking through the window. She had been imprisoned in this cell for days now, since her husband's foul mood began. She couldn't quite remember what she did to end up in this cold prison, just that her husband's advisors had turned most untrustworthy, and had turned their backs on their queen all together. They claimed her to be a traitor to the country, as well as a witch because of her barrenness. But little did they know, that she actually had a child growing up well in France, under the most educated of all teachers where she would blossom as any young princess should. That was of course until the king and queen found out of her husband's deceit, and of her own death. Who knows then what would happen to her child, she only feared that her daughter would escape the torment of a king whose values were in entirely the wrong places.

She loved her husband, ever since she had first seen him when they were both young children at court. She never once doubted his ability to reason, but recently with his foul mood rather paramount, it seemed that the man she once knew and adored simply had no use for her anymore. Her thoughts rolled back to the morning of her imprisonment, how she awoke to her ladies-in-waiting bustling about gathering certain items that belonged to her, wondering what was going on she left her chambers to find her husband as well as several of his men pointing at her things dragging them out of the hall. She questioned him, like she normally did only he didn't want to answer her this time. Instead he had his guards bind her arms behind her, much to her kicking, accusing and screaming. She was dragged from her room, kicking and screaming begging her husband to release her and all he did was stand there in the midst of bustling ladies and rather shocked guards. Of course she would be the center of the gossips around court, right about now and her husband perhaps sat in his dining hall flirting with some whore from town. Though before this point she didn't doubt his love for her, nor did she believe that his flirting was any reason for concern because she knew at the end of the day it was with her he lay with until dawn and with her he shared his most important thoughts.

But it was at this point, that her thoughts were more concerned with her child's welfare than anything else. Even though deep down she knew, that against all odds her sister Constantia would protect her niece with her life. She wondered if her husband, king john would find it rather treasonous to protect a daughter of a slaughtered queen. She slipped off to sleep in this cold room, her knees close to her chest and her only comfort was that of her most trusted ladies, and the slight warmth of her clothes about her body.

It wasn't until morning that she awoke, the sun poured it's blessing in through the tiny window of the tower in which she was imprisoned. Of course if she and her ladies didn't feel the chill the night before, they certainly felt it now. Her youngest companion, Little Kitty Hartford sat leaning against the wall nearest the window in her pink satin gown, with her brown hair pulled back slightly with two pink hairclips which let her hair drape over her chest in an elegant curled-like way.

"Kitty, could you please bring me my diary?" She asked, shivering underneath her clothes.

"Yes Madam." Kitty responded as she stood to her feet, dusting her skirts off before walking across the room to a small trunk placed in the far right hand corner of the room. Lifting the buckle off of the elaborate gold trunk engraved with both the queen and the king's initials into the fine metal. After moving several things to the side, she pulled out a small black book. She closed the trunk, walking slowly towards the Queen, briefly curtsying before handing the book to her.

Taking it from Kitty's hands she opened the small book, briefly reading through several important moments in her life that she felt writing about. Sighing to herself, she closed the book after several minutes had passed and stood to her feet as footsteps started through the stairwell beyond the place where she and her ladies sat. Brushing her skirts off, and overall fixing her appearance to look somewhat like a Queen rather than a peasant, she waited until the door to the room in which she rested opened. Two men entered the room, all dressed in black as if in mourning.

"Madam, we are here to escort you to the green lawn, King's orders I'm afraid." One of the men said, a look of gloom set across her face as her companions rose looking at the men as well as their Queen in shock. Of course they hadn't been expecting this to happen, no one but her husband's advisors had expected this. But as the two men came towards her, taking both of her arms which were suddenly freezing cold under her clothes they escorted her as well as her ladies traveling behind through the door and down the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom floor, they started towards the door the man to her right kicked the door with his foot. The door was then opened as the men led her through, after passing two guards which has apparently been guarding the tower for the past few days; she was then led through an archway in the back part of the palace towards the eastern gate of the palace grounds.

Of course she knew where she was headed; anyone in their right mind had to know. Ladies weren't necessarily allowed to be present during the execution of a person to be put to death, simply because the act of a woman being present seemed to be unfitting. But in her case, majority of the town having heard of her execution would be present to see and perhaps beg for her life before the king. The men on both sides of her released her arms after walking through the side gate of the palace, she walked the streets towards the green lawn, passing a row of houses along the way. Her long dress brushed against the ground on which she walked, her ladies whispered silently behind her as she continued her walk to her future. Tears slipped freely from her eyes, as her heart gripped itself in agony as the realization of her husband's actions hit her with stunning force. Her tears rolled freely down her cheeks and onto her dress until all the townsfolk she passed along the way seemed to sympathize with the woman whose heart was completely broken in shame and embarrassment. Her vision becoming both blurred and distorted brought her to bring her ungloved hand to her eyes to wipe the tears from them.

Upon reaching the entrance to the green lawn she heard the voices of the townsfolk within, all standing in the crowd before the platform onto which she would be placed and where she would die. She entered through the gate, seeing her husband as well as his advisors out of the corner of her eye sitting behind a stone wall, several feet high where his throne was located and where his advisors stood leaning against the wall. The men beside her left her then, and the trumpets sounded as her presence became well acknowledged by the townsfolk as well as her husband. It was then with a loud voice that her husband did speak to the crowd.

"It is with great honor and sadness that I welcome the lot of you here today. To witness the death of such a treacherous, deceitful woman who over the past few years, as ripped my heart out to pieces with her lies and her plans. It was not until recently that her plans became clear to me, by those who she had most disturbing relations with. It is with a sad and broken heart that she is to be executed, so that all of you may see at what length hurting your king does go. Madam, please step forward on the platform before you, and listen to the charges of which you committed."

She stood where she was for a moment, as if frozen as the words her husband spoke sank in, she looked at him as tears filled her eyes and her heart pulled that one last time. It was then that she gave up hope, then that she realized that he had been so wronged and lied to by his advisors, and as a woman she could do nothing. She would not beg, it was above her to beg for her life when she didn't commit the crimes he believed that she had done. But nevertheless, she stepped forward onto that platform as her ladies watched in awe. She turned facing her husband first, with eyes streaming with tears and then she turned her eyes, her heart, and her life to the crowd as well as the small platform where the execution was done. A man dressed in black walked the steps opposite to her, and stood behind her as she stood before the crowd.

"This woman before you, has been charged with adultery, wicked thoughts and actions, as well as lying to the king himself about her deeds. It is because of this, and with a heavy heart the king must by law put her to death, before god as well as man." The man behind her said, it was then that the crowd shook their heads unbelieving and her hope of being saved was cast out the window.

"Do you have any words that you would like to say Madam?" The king called to her in anger as he watched her figure face the crowd. She turned to him, looking him in the eyes and then back to the crowd before she spoke,

"I loved my husband, with every ounce of my being and I never stopped. I have not committed the crimes that he says that I have committed; my only crime was that I loved my husband too much and was too faithful and obedient. His actions have broken my heart to the point that my wounds are wide open, and no one that sees me believes that I am innocent. It is with this that I am to die. So I lay my life down before god, and before life itself even if it means that my child will have to suffer the consequences of the actions of my husband's advisors." She said, making sure the word child hit her husband's heart hard, though it seemed that regardless of her words she could not be saved.

"Lower your head Madam." The king called, apparently not hearing a word she said. She kneeled onto the ground, placing her neck onto the platform below her, she lowered her head as best to her ability, whispered a small prayer to god and then with the swiftness of the blade that came sharply down on her neck, she died.


End file.
